Syfy bites off more than they can chew

Syfy’s “Bitten” is unoriginal, but viewers who are addicted to urban romance and split lifestyles of fictional and supernatural creatures such as vampires and werewolves will enjoy it. It revolves around a young, bold, attractive woman, Elena Michaels (Laura Vandervoort), who is also a werewolf.

Elena lives with her normal and human boyfriend, Philip (Paul Greene), who is not aware about her other lifestyle. She is like any other woman who works, goes out and becomes anxious around her boyfriend’s mother. Yet, she attempts to divide her life between who she appears to be and her other persona as an animalistic, but mostly disciplined werewolf.

In the pilot episode, “Summon,” when she needs to change from her human self, Elena tells Philip that she has a photo-shoot to cover. She leaves the apartment, quickly walks to a dark alley, cautiously places her clothing on the street and transforms to a four-legged, sharp-toothed, and fast creature.

It is clear that she is still adjusting to the city life from her past home, but wants to focus on her new family and life, even though she’s a werewolf. However, it all turns around when a mutt on the loose breaks a cardinal rule by killing a human outside of her town of Stone Haven. Elena’s family, or pack, tries to summon her back to help find the killer.

Even though “Bitten” might be appealing to viewers who like shows or movies about werewolves and vampires, the unoriginality and simplicity of the plot make it uninteresting. It might have a few differences from other shows, but the overall generalization of a werewolf’s appearance, behavior and personal issues is similar to most entertainment that is grounded on these creatures.

Viewers already can assume that the major issues among the characters will arise from the split lifestyles and the identity crisis that a supernatural creature most likely face in a show. Werewolves bring the expected sheer violence and conflict between “good” and “evil.” Yet, a few mysteries will remain and might keep viewers hooked.